AMV8: Going to be a hit or just fizzle? Are you ordering one?

I've seen the Top Gear review where they were really let down on the power, but I'm not sure if the bulk of the crowd buying these are racers so it might not matter.

I was at the grand opening of the Aston dealer here in Cleveland a few weeks ago and the first year was nearly sold out before the official opening. This is dumpy Cleveland, OH mind you.

I personally love it inside and out. I considered waiting for it, but I bought a Maserati GranSport instead. What interested me was the rumored 100K price with 911 Turbo performance, now its well over 100K with options and perceived slower than expected, so thats a little downer.

Although I haven't driven it yet and that still may cause me to change my position, I would seriously consider buying this car. And to be honest, its an Aston, and like Ferrari to me, I always wanted one. Maybe its the whole Bond thing, but I love the whole Aston history of being a brutal accerlerating gentlemen's racer. Sort of like a 612 or 456, classy, understated, but darn fast.

 

When I first saw the original "spy" pics I got really excited. Even got on a list briefly, but removed my name as other things came up. I still like the design but have not seen one in person. It seems it may be a bit skewed to the avenue crowd and less to the performance side. Have they even announced a firm price? First it was less than $100k, but lately I have seen $120k as a likely target. Becoming less appealing daily at that rate! Still, I am looking forward to seeing in person and driving one before deciding anything. I doubt it will hold its value very well though, so waiting for the used market might be wisest.
A baby Vanguish S would be sweet though, do you think the market will be big enough to bother with setup and design?

 

I think it well sell well based on its looks, those that bought a porsche bc it was a porsche will be smitten with it. I like it, but I couldnt buy the car that performs worse than the 911. They are sold out for like 2 yrs here in boston, so they say...lastly, i think they have screwed up a bit showing the car for sooooo long before u can take delivery of the damned thing. Im already bored.

 

You know, for years I thought the old A-M 8 was the ugly stepchild, and shared few attributes of the classic DB series of cars, particularly DB4 & 5. But now, just like the Bertone bodied 308 appeals in a retro kind of way, those older 8 cyl. cars really look pretty cool.
Not to hi-jack, but while we are at it, can we talk about those, as well?
I'm mystified by what appears to be a huge delta in price among models within the same era. I am also lost when it comes to designations like 'Oscar India,' 'Prince of Wales' configuration, etc. Here's a pic of the era i'm talking about: Well, i just answered a couple of my questions; Oscar India was A-M code for October introduction for a revised series of the cars; the POW designation was apparently a very desirable limited production run, and the cars had some typical problems, or so i read quickly, like early fuel injection nightmares. Nonetheless these have grown on me and seem to be cheap, if only until the first real repair bill comes in. Anybody know anything more about the older V 8?
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With the older V8 models, you need to be very wary of rust & corrosion in the sills.

There are a few other concerns (you mentioned the FI), plus many, many benefits to these lovely cars. Big, powerful engines, wonderful ride and more - but the sills are the big worry.

Neil

 

bill - there's an aston expert in your area who's known for them. i'll dig up the name. love the look, but i'd never buy it.

amv8 - priced way too high, esp. compared to where it was supposed to come out. at the end of the day it was suppoed to be 90ish, at 120+ why wouldn't you spend the extra 30 for the db9?

--Dan

 

I think you're thinking of Auto Sport Designs in Huntington Station, NY. His picture of the V8 Vantage Volante looks like it came from their site.

www.autosportdesigns.com

Neil

 

Yep, Autosport. Talked with them a few times about Ferraris they had, but have not done business with them (yet). I like their site, and periodically watch their inventory. As i said, the old V 8 look has grown on me. (Not that i'm going to run out and buy one, but if the cars are straight, and useable, they certainly seem within reason, pricewise).

 

I dig the looks of the new AMV8. Its a stunning beauty. I too think Aston Martin made a mistake by not upping the horsepower but I tend to think its the old corporate line that says it can't be faster than its bigger brother.

That has been in my opinion a downfall for many manufacturers as they try and offer a smaller, less expensive brother to the companies top of the line cars...(for fear of hurting sales of the more expensive top model)

I think that fear is unfounded and can be a big problem for the newer model as sales slow down.

Just make all the cars in the lineup as fast as you can. The fact that it doesn't have the V12 would have been enough to differeniate it. That and the fact its a two seater.

Unfortunately thats not the corporate line.

Still the AMV8 will be a good seller for many years to come.

Its stunning good looks and ability to be used daily help a lot as does its relatively low price (for such an exclusive brand)

 

I like the V8, but, I think they screwed up in positioning the car. The Vanquish is awesome - $275k supercar. The DB9 they tried to bring into Modena territory, but IMO they should have brought out the V8 at $100k with 911 performance (as they said), then make the DB9 about 30% of the way between the V8 an Vanquish... sort of an upscale V8 with more power, slightly different body, etc, etc

I think they shot themselves in the foot on the V8. They wanted to get the DB9 done, so they ended up cramping the V8's market. Since the DB9 was supposed to be higher, they had to "down-market" the V8 a bit, which probably reduced its appeal and sales volume, which caused the sticker price to go up.

My opinion on ground effects and/or bodywork is that it's not a great biz to be in. You have two polarly opposite sides, first the guys who "rice out" the imports. There are a MILLION of those guys and I bet there is no profit in it. Also, a lot of them tend to do really gaudy kits that look horrible to 99% of people. The remaining 1% isnt enought o live on. Even IF you come out with a good one, there are a million 1%'ers not making any money who will happily copy the one that seems to actually sell.

Then you have the high end - like Brabus, Renntech and those. They survive on their reputation which takes many years to create. They also almost all do engine work in addition to body work. I am not sure there is a real market for add-on body panels for expensive cars from non-established tuners who dont also do engine work.

But its just my gut instinct. I fully support anyone getting out there and making parts! I hope it works out.

 

I placed a deposit on an AMV8 a few months ago. I'm looking at ordering in the winter of 2006 for a spring 2007 delivery. I'm not completely sold on the car. I'm still not sure I want to spend that much money on the car. In the end I will probably ask for my deposit back.

The short list of my alternatives include a 997S, 996TT, Z8, or F355. All of those are great cars and within my price range. To me, they make justifying the extra cost of the AMV8 difficult. Of course, I pray daily that the Ford GT prices will drop to within my reach, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.

cheers,
nitmr26

 

Exactly right, Neil. A friend knows their owner (pappados or stefanopoulos or something) and bought a db5 from them. So far he's quite pleased. Bill - if you'd like I can put you in touch with my friend Tim about their owner?

--Dan

 

This is also a brand new dealer as well, and those orders weren't from a long line of previous customers, but they got those allocations from overloaded waiting lists at other dealers (from what I heard anyway.) While to me it seems like a slow car for $120k, apparently enough people are in love with the design to create a year-2year waiting list across the country.

 

Bill: if you talk to Tom P, ask him if he knows of any of the 95-ish Vantage Virage cars available in the US? Not the type listed on his site but the later ones with the triple headlamps. Those are SEXY in a british bulldog kind of way.

--Dan

 

Bill, if you are not in a hurry, wait until I move and unpack when we get up there. I've got a ton of info on the V8s in old magazines and books. It was one of those cars that I was looking at before I went nuts with the Ferraris...

 

This is the latest 'en vogue'. Be on a waiting list...just in case. Why not i guess? Friend of mine is on a list and like others here have mentioned will probably pass. Though it has more power than most of us will ever need, the bad press might decide its fate.

 

Might want to PM Martin Weiner as well. I believe(too lazy to search just now) that he had one and it was one of the few cars he has regretted selling.

 

its an utter waste of money!!! I mean come on, its rival is the f430 and its got 490 bhp out of a v8 and the damn am48 only has 380 bhp, can't Aston do better, even though they're charging so much for the car. And what is up with Power, soul, beauty thing when it starts up?

 

Actually its rival is the 911. The 430 rival would be the DB9. Ive seen the top gear test and it looked absoutlty amazing!

 

Have to admit, it sounds great.

 

The DB8 will be AM's performance rocket. It has the best power to weight ratio & its a real front mid engine + the engine sits lower than in the DB9 or the Vanquish.

I think it will really bite Porsche

If I had my choice I'd get 1 of every new model AM

I really want to get a C6 Z06 next year but a DB8 is sweet

Then again a nice dark red DB9 Volante will make a nice Bday present to myself in the near future

 

WHART, watch The Living Daylights. Good Bond film, great car, great bond girl.

 

On eo fthe best bond films if you like the books.

--Dan